Metallurgical furnace



c c. ROLLER. ,METALLURGICALFURNACE. H APPLICATION FILED oci'. 30,1920. I gg 7m Patented Sept. 19-, 1922 2 SHEETSSHEET 'c. c. ROLLER. METALLURGICAL FURNACE. T APPHQMION FILED 0CT. 3. l920-- 1,429,??? Patientedflept. 19,1922,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

70 v fag. 4.

1% verziar,

Patented ept 19, 1222.

it "the LA 1 CONRAD C. ROLLER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

METALLURGICAL FURNACE.

Application filed October 30, 1920. Serial No. 420,633.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CoNRAD C. Roxanna, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallurgical Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metallurgical furnaces and more particularly-to the means for collecting and removing the slag and debris from the regenerator flues of openhearth furnaces while they are in operation.

Heretofore cars have been run into the tunnels below the regenerator lines to collect the slag and debris, andmeans have been provided for elevating'the cars to form a tight joint between the latter and the fines.

It is the object of this invention to provide improved means of simple and durable construction for raising and lowering the slag receiving cars into and out of engage ment with the fines.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a furnace equipped with my improvements. Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof on line 22, Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a transverse sec tion on line 3-8, Fig. 2. Figure 41 is a fragmentary side view of the furnace, showing the rear portion of the elevating mechanism. Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the car-body supporting rails and asso ciated parts.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

10 represents the furnace which is ofthe regenerative type, the details of its construction being omitted inasmuch as they form no part of the present invention. Connected with the usual air and gas conduits in the upper part of the furnace are the. ordinary down flues 11 which communicate at their lower ends with they cross lines 12. Tunnels 13 are located below these fines and communicate with them through openings 14. Arranged lengthwise within these tunnels are track rails 15 which are preferably supported at intervals on pairs of inwardly-facing transverse channel irons 16 embedded in the concrete floor 17, and upon which wheeled trucks 18 run. Each truck is provided with a detachable car body 19 which normally rests on upright supporting saddles 20 on the top of the truck. The car body may be of any suitable con struction, the same usually being made of steel having an interior lining of fire brick or the like. Preferably extending around the exterior of the car body is a horizontallvdlsposed flange-or rib 21 with which means co-operate for elevating the car body into engagement with the inwardly projecting shoulders 22 provided around the corre sponding opening 14:.

The means for raising the car body into engagement with these shoulders and for lowering the same when it is filled with debris, are preferably constructed as follows:

23-represents an elevating frame or cradle comprlsing longitudinal supporting rails 24 which extend substantially the length of the tunnel 13. the front ends thereof projecting forwardly a suitable distance beyond the front wall of the furnace. These rails are normally supported at their front ends on horizontally swinging brackets 25 suitably hinged to the walls of the tunnel, while their rear ends are provided with depending legs 26 suitably secured thereto andsupported at their lower ends on a transverse supporting bar or lifting rail 27. As shown at the left in Fig. 2, this lifting rail is disposed between the corresponding set of rearmost channel irons 16 and is normally supported at its ends on suitable bases 28. The lower edges of the legs 26 are notched or recessed, as shown at 29, so as to straddle the lifting rail and reliably hold the legs in place. The lower portions of these legs are guided between the rearmost channel irons 16, the opposing upper flanges of the latter being provided with notches 30 to receive said legs. By providing the swinging brackets 25 at the front end of the tunnel, the same can readily be moved to one side when not in use or when the furnace is undergoing repair.

A. lifting rail 31, identical with the rail 27, is arranged at the front ends of the supporting rails 24:, and is suspended above the track rails 15. so as to directly engage the undersides of those portions of said rails which extend beyond the front wall of the furnace. Both of these lifting rails are carried by a pair of cables or chains 82, 32, each of which passes upward over a pulley or sheave 33 and downward over a winding pulley or sheave 34 to which the free end of the cable is secured. The upper pulleys rails and cars,

of the furnace and suitably journaled in.

bearings 37. A suitable handle or crank 38 mounted onthe end of each shaft 36 is'provided for manually turning it to effect a raising and lowering of the respective liftingrails 27, 31. Ratchet wheels 39 are secured to these operating shafts with which detent pawls 4L0 co-operate to permit a u'niform and gradual step by step movement of the car body supporting rails 24. i

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each of the lifting cables 32, 32 of each pair are spaced a sufficient distance apart so as not to inter fere with the movements of the supporting Inasmuch as the front lift ing rail 31 is arranged above the track, it is obviously necessary to raise it out of the way of the car when movin the'latter into or out of the tunnel l3, thls being possible by the provision of the brackets 25, which serve to support the front end of the elevating frame 23 while said gaged from it.

In the operation of the device, assume a car truck, together with its body, to have been run into the tunnel and properly positioned below the flue-opening 14, as shown by full lines in F 1g. 2, and also at the left fof Fig. 1. The operators now turn the cranks 38 in the proper direction to raise the lifting rails 27, 31 which impartv a corresponding movement to the. supporting rails 2e. These supporting rails engage the flange 21 of the detachable car body 19' and the latter is correspondingly elevated to the po sition shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the detent pawls locking the shafts against turning in the opposite direction and holding the car body in its elevated operative position.

After the car bod-y has been filled with debris from the furnace, thesame is lowered by lowering the supporting rails 24, this movement being effected, by alternately releasing said pawls. The car body is thus gradually lowered on to its truck, requiring but a minimum amount of manual labor for this purpose. 1

To relieve the cables 32 and associated parts from the strains due to the weight of the debris discharged into the. car body while the latter is in its elevated position, means are provided, independently of the cables 32, for supporting the parts in this position. For this purpose,the front ends of the supporting rails 24 areiprovided with s depending legs 4:]. similar tothe rear legs 26, whichare guided at their lower ends between the corresponding pair of foremost channel irons 16. These frontvand rear legs are provided with outwardly bent flanges or projections 42 whichterminate above the lower ends thereof, and whose lower edges lifting rail is disem in the elevated position of the rails, are

'ingthe car from accidentally dropping in case of breakage of the cables.

By guiding the elevating frame 23 at its lower end between the channels 16, swaying of the same is prevented during the raising and lowering movements thereof. I A layer of moist clay 4A or similar material is usually. placed on the upper mar ginal face of the flange 45 of the car body, before it is moved into the tunnel, to insure an air tight joint between the car body and the shoulders 22. i

As the operating parts ofrthe improved car elevating and lowering mechanism are arranged wholly outside of the furnace, it is unnecessary for the operators to enter the tunnel 10, thereby rendering the device safe and reducing the liability of accidents to a minimum. J

By making the car bodies separate and detachable from the trucks, the latter can be removed fromthe tunnels and the same truck can beused for transporting various car bodies, thus effecting a material saving in the'cost of the car equipment.

I claim asmy invention:

1. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car having a detachable body movable into" and out of engagement with said fine to make a joint therewith, supporting rails arrangedin said tunnel. for engagement with the body of said car, and means for raising and lowering said supporting rails.

2. The combinationwith a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car having a detachable body'movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, supporting rails arranged lengthwise in said tunnel for engagement with the body of said car, transverse lifting rails-for said supporting rails, and means for actuating said transverse railsf 3. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a clown-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith,of a car having a detachable body movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, the body of said car being provided with a projecting flange, supporting rails. arranged in said tunnel on either side of said car body for engagement with its flanges, and means for raising andlowering said supporting rails to effect a corresponding movement of said car body. T V

4. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, supportingrails arranged in said tunnel for engagement with the body of said car, lifting rails for said supporting rails suspended from said furna'ce, and elevating cables connected at one end to said lifting rails.

5. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, an elevating frame for said car arranged in said tunnel and suspended therein, winding mechanism associated with said elevating frame, and cables connected at their ends to said winding mechanism and said elevating frame, respectively.

6. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, supporting rails arranged in said tunnel for engagement with the body of said car, means for raising and lowering said supporting rails to effect a corresponding movement of said car body, and means independent of said first named means for holding said rails and said car body in their elevated position.

7. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, a supporting frame for said car arranged in said tunnel &

and having guide legs, and means for raising and lowering said frame.

8. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down fiue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith. a supporting frame for said car arranged in said tunnel and having front and rear guide-legs, a rear lifting rail engaging said rear guide legs, a front lifting rail engaging the front portion of said supporting frame, and means for raising and lowering said lifting rails.

9. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into and out of engagement with said fine to make a joint therewith, a supporting frame for said car having guide-legs, means for raising and lowering said frame, and base members in which said legs are guided vertically, said legs having lateral blockingprojections spaced from said base members in the elevated position of said frame and adapted to rest upon blocks "inserted between them and said base-members.-

10. The combination with a metallurgical furnace having a down-flue and a tunnel communicating therewith, of a car movable into ,and out of engagement with said flue to make a joint therewith, a supporting frame for said car arranged in said tunnel, mechanism for raising and lowering said frame, and hinged brackets projecting from the walls of the tunnel for supporting said frame when said raising and lowering mechanism is disengaged therefrom.

CONRAD C. ROLLER. 

